Not too many c-store retailers can say they have been around for a full century. One hundred years of business is no small feat, but Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Lassus is turning that corner with ease. Even more impressive is the fact that the company has remained family owned the entire time, with the fifth generation joining the team later this year.
This success, according to Stephanie Galentine, chief operating officer of Lassus Bros. Oil Inc., can be largely attributed to company leaders being quick to pivot when the time is right.
“Over the years, we’ve gone from natural gas to full-service fueling to what we now know and identify as c-store convenience, so I would point all the way back to the original business owners,” noted Galentine. “They seemed to have a knack for identifying gaps in the service in their local area and then identifying opportunities to take advantage of that while serving the communities that already existed.”
The business first began in 1925 under August Lassus, who initially began his career in the coal industry. August later handed the business down to his sons, Elmer, August Jr. and William, who then grew the business by adding gas stations in the Fort Wayne community and eventually creating a wholesale fuel oil distribution division.
That fuel division would be essential for the company, as it now owns its own terminal and transportation department.
“All of the fuel that we source to our company-operated stores is directly from the Lassus terminal,” said Galentine. Today, Lassus offers unleaded fuels, diesel, E85, regular 88 and rec 90, and it also delivers to wholesale customers and supplies city and county accounts.
In 1960, Elmer’s son, Jon F. Lassus, joined the company, which, at the time, operated six busy service stations. After August retired in 1972, Jon took over as president. He led the brand’s evolution from a full-service operator to a c-store retailer, embracing technology and ushering in “the most growth” in company history, Galentine said.
In 1980, Lassus opened what would become known as a modern convenience store, combining its fuel, food and retail offerings into one unified storefront. Also located in Fort Wayne, Ind., the site, operating under its original name, Lassus Handy Dandy, was opened by the fourth generation of Lassus sons — Todd, Jon R., Greg and John F. Lassus.
Today, John serves as the company’s CEO, Todd is president, Jon R. previously served as VP before his death, and Greg acts as VP.
What Makes Lassus, Lassus
When customers are asked about their experience with Lassus, Galentine said the feedback often revolves around the friendliness of its employees.
“The leading answer from our customers, our own friends and our family is how friendly our team members are. That’s the leading element of what is different from store to store,” she said. “Quite a few of our team members know our customers by name. They know what they purchase. They know their wife’s name or their grandchild’s name. They genuinely know these people.”
In addition to exceptional customer service, the retailer also prides itself on cleanliness of bathrooms, food safety practices and employee safety.
A huge draw for customers in Lassus communities is its proprietary Elmo’s Pizza & Subs foodservice program. Galentine noted that oftentimes, people in the community will refer to Lassus stores as Elmo’s, noting the brands have become almost synonymous with each other.
The Elmo’s concept was launched 25 years ago, and today, customers can find the brand in nearly every new location that Lassus adds, including 15 active sites.
“We don’t plan to move into a new community and not bring Elmo’s along and spread our impact there,” stated Galentine. She added that President Todd Lassus is the resident “foodie” at the company and has been integral in developing the Elmo’s brand and still remains hands-on in many ways.
“We cannot touch the dough, we cannot touch the cheese, we cannot touch the sauce without his blessing,” said Galentine. “And that’s kept us on a really good path of consistency and high-quality demand for the customer. … We have some core boundaries that we do not stray from, so we don’t cut those corners. And for that, we’ve been able to maintain a really consistent brand across those 15 locations and growing.”
Galentine noted that Lassus plans to heavily invest in Elmo’s this fiscal year to “go the extra mile” for its customers.
Making Room For EVs
While it continues to invest in foodservice, Lassus is concurrently investing in technology to bolster its in-store offerings. To do this, the company partnered with a c-store consulting firm, which has proven to be pivotal for the chain’s technology transformation.
“Working alongside and utilizing all of their experience and their contacts that they’ve made throughout this industry has been life changing for me,” Galentine said. “I have a trustworthy friend walking alongside me as we go through this journey. … It’s been a very, very awesome experience.”
One technology advancement the retailer just embarked on is the beginning of its collaboration with Tesla — recently, Lassus partnered with the tech giant to implement electric vehicle (EV) fast chargers at its Goshen, Ind., site. While the partnership is still in its preliminary stages, Galentine hopes to use this as a learning opportunity to see how beneficial the technology could be for the company going forward and to assess consumer demand for the technology.
“We’ve prepared the site for their installation of four chargers, slated for our Q3,” she said. “We intend to learn from this partnership and discern where and when we expand our footprint in the world of EV.”
Another technology offering that has proven to be beneficial for Lassus is its rewards program, LASSUSGO Rewards, which features deals on gas, in-store offerings and exclusive giveaways for rewards members.
The company also offers an exclusive Lassus Mobile Pay app, which allows customers to pay for their fuel purchases without entering the store.
Making Waves in Local Communities
With foodservice and technology well positioned to meet evolving consumer demands, Lassus has not lost sight of its community involvement — an aspect of the company’s operations that customers have come to know and appreciate.
Galentine said that Lassus’ commitment to its communities is the “second coolest thing” about the company, behind the fact that it is still family owned and in its fifth generation. She highlighted three initiatives that stand out.
The first is that each store is given a budget every year to use in their community, with no boundaries or requirements to adhere to.
“They can choose where to invest their annual gift, but they have to come together to decide as a group where they’ll impact their community,” Galentine said.
Galentine said that the goal of this initiative is three-pronged: employees provide their time, talent and treasure to the community, which is a Biblical reference the retailer uses to describe this program.
“Ideally, all three prongs exist, and our team members are exposed to the opportunity to look out for and take care of others,” she continued.
The second initiative Galentine highlighted was the Lassus Foundation, with a portion of profits going into the foundation each year. She noted that a good portion of the funds go to local organizations who apply for it, and some is kept as a safety net in case the company has a challenging year.
Organizations that receive donations through the Lassus Foundation are identified through an online portal by Lassus family members and the executive staff.
The third initiative is Lassus’ commitment to working alongside its customers. Each year, the retailer holds two or three companywide fundraisers that begin and end in the store.
Last year, Lassus raised $100,000 for the Fort Wayne Zoo through a six-week in-store and at-the-pump donation program — one of the company’s most successful to date.
“That’s our most exciting result. They’re not all $100,000 results by any means, but that was one that was so familiar to every customer that came through the door, that’s why (it was so successful),” Galentine said.
She stated that there are other community projects that may pop up throughout the year, but these three are staples that remain consistent.
Investing in Employees
Community members also make up the majority of Lassus employees. Lassus has made it a point to consistently show appreciation, support and concern for its employees.
“We have at least a dozen programs that serve the whole team member, rather than just ‘the employee,’” Galentine said.
Lassus offers employees 100% paidfor counseling services, an internal “rainy day” ministry, connection to a local liaison that focuses on finding resources for housing and childcare needs, a personal improvement book club, and much more.
“We really invest in the whole person, and I could easily attribute our turnover rates, our leadership rates, our longevity, all of those key performance indicators, to this,” Galentine continued. “We invest in our people, and we would not be able to do that if our ownership didn’t support that and fund that.
“We’re really great with customers, and we do a lot of great things in the community, but we also have a lot of great stuff going on internally in our organization, and we continue to see the fruits of those investments and those labors of love, and it’s just a beautiful cycle to continue to watch.”
The Lassus Growth Plan
Growth is still top of mind for Lassus going forward. However, it’s become more challenging, as property costs have skyrocketed and prime real estate has become occupied, Galentine noted.
“Growth is not as easy as it once was. It’s nearly triple what it would’ve cost 15 years ago to find a piece of property and put a full convenience store and all the fuel elements down,” she said. “So, it’s a hearty job, but we do have a real estate vice president, and we do source support externally to try and find those properties. We are actively seeking new dirt to build new locations, and ideally, we’re going into communities that we do not yet serve, but are great in our path.”
Lassus is looking “far and wide” to identify potential sites, both in Indiana and out of the state, Galentine added.
Two of the key factors the company considers when deciding on a viable c-store property are competition and traffic count.
“We scope out the community that we’re looking at, and we look out a half mile, a mile, and we just keep going on that radius. Is the community underserved or overserved in the convenience store element? If there’s seven on the road, we probably don’t need to go there,” noted Galentine. “Traffic count is the other major factor. We look to see how many customers we can capture per day, and what that looks like volume-wise, and then we just span out from there.”
Once Lassus has identified those two characteristics in a site, they turn to the financials — what kind of return on investment could this site potentially offer? While there are countless other considerations, Galentine said that these are the initial factors that the company is looking for in a new property.
As it continues to shine in its 100th year of business, Lassus is showing no signs of slowing down.
